


Drive

by lallyloo



Category: Eagle of the Ninth Series - Rosemary Sutcliff, The Eagle | Eagle of the Ninth (2011)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-29
Updated: 2012-01-29
Packaged: 2017-10-30 07:22:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/329236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lallyloo/pseuds/lallyloo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a fanmix with short stories included for each song. It's meant to be a modern AU (all in the same 'verse) with snapshots of Marcus and Esca's relationship, all centered around Marcus's car.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Drive

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to livejournal in October 2011.

1\. Low Rider – War  
 _Low rider drives a little slower  
Low rider is a little goer.._

Esca hadn't thought about what car Marcus might drive. If he had, he'd probably have pictured something fast and sleek. Or something over-sized, like a pickup.

So he's surprised when they cut across the parking lot and Marcus heads straight for a little black Volkswagen beetle. It's old, an original, and Esca imagines there's a lot of history under the hood.

“You drive a bug?”

“Yeah.”

“Brilliant!”

 

2\. Death – White Lies  
 _The sky set out like a pathway  
But who decides which route we take.._

The car isn't quick, but when Marcus takes it out on the back roads he can get them going pretty fast.

Esca rolls his window down, the gears squeaking inside the door, and leans far enough out for the wind to catch his hair. His eyes are closed, and the sun hits his face. It's good and it's warm, and at that moment there's no where else he'd rather be.

He feels fearless.

Marcus is laughing next to him and shaking the wheel, trying to force the car to go faster.

“She's got some life in her yet.”

Then Esca's laughing too, and reaching for Marcus's hand.

 

3\. No Reason to Cry Out Your Eyes (On the Highway Tonight) – Hawksley Workman  
 _Sadness is waiting to happen  
For people like us, not sure where we're going.._

It's not their first fight, but it's their biggest one so far.

The windows are fogged up from their yelling, and Esca slams his fist against the dash, and Marcus keeps glancing between him and the road. There are accusations and explanations and shouts of “just listen to me” and they argue so long they begin to forget what started the fight in the first place.

Esca leans back against the seat, tilting his head to the window as it starts to rain. Streetlights flash by, and the droplets of water on his window turn everything into a colorful blur.

Marcus flicks on his wipers, and a few minutes of silence pass before he begins to slow.

“Looks like an accident.”

Esca turns to watch as the brake lights ahead of them light up the road.

Esca cranes his neck as they pass. It doesn't look serious, but he glances over at Marcus, thankful it's not them.

“Sorry.”

“Me too.”

 

4\. The Shining – Badly Drawn Boy  
 _It's killing me, I'm dying  
To put a little sunshine in your life.._

Marcus keeps looking over at him, giving him that worried expression that it so very Marcus.

“Marcus, it's okay,” Esca finally says, turning to meet his gaze when they pull up to a stoplight. “I knew it was coming.”

 

The funeral had been perfect. Beautiful, even. Or as beautiful as funerals can be.

His dad had cried, and Esca stood with his brothers and comforted him, and Marcus stood at Esca's side.

The flowers were lovely, the music picked out by his mum before she died, and she looked peaceful in the casket – almost as if she was sleeping. Esca had looked at her face, the closed eyes, the mouth that once kissed his bumps and bruises, and read him bedtime stories, and sang songs to him. He wanted her to wake up and tell him another story, or tell him it was going to be okay, and make the hurt go away. Because that's what mums do.

Esca cried, and Marcus held his hand, and afterwards they climbed into the little black bug and Marcus drove him home.

 

“It's fine," Esca says, forcing a smile, trying to erase the worried line from Marcus's brow.

But his smile breaks. The tears are there again, and he tries to shake them off, and Marcus pulls the car over and holds him tight until they stop.

 

5\. Passenger Seat – Death Cab For Cutie  
 _When you feel embarrassed, then I'll be your pride  
When you need directions, then I'll be the guide  
For all time.._

“I love you.”

Marcus smiles and glances over. “What's that for?”

“No reason.” Esca's feet are on the dash, his head tilted towards the window.

The night sky never ceases to amaze him. It's harder to see in the city, where the sky is always filled with light pollution. When they visit Marcus's uncle, Esca's favorite part is always the drive home – just himself and Marcus on a country road, the sky lit up above them.

“We should move to the country.”

“You want to?”

“Maybe.”

Marcus reaches for his hand, and Esca watches the stars, trying to take them all in before the city lights appear on the horizon.


End file.
